The family of jailed Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson and former prime minister, Khaleda Zia, on Sunday claimed that the health condition of the leader had deteriorated further for inadequate and inappropriate treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital.
Khaleda has been undergoing treatment at the hospital since April 1, 2019.
After seeing Khaleda, Zahia Rahman, daughter of Khaleda’s youngest son Arafat Rahman, came out of the hospital with a sad appearance.
Khaleda’s sister Selima Islam said, ‘Her condition is very bad. Today her sugar level was 18 after 12-hour fasting. Last day [on December 16] I told you that the sugar level was 14. She suffers severe pain in the left leg and left hand. I think that there is a conspiracy to kill her by not giving her bail.’
‘She can neither move nor sit of her own. A few days ago she was about to collapse. What can we say now? She needs proper treatment which is not happening here. How will she survive here?’ she said.
‘Her fingers had become stiffed and bended. Both knees have swelled,’ Selima said.
Asked whether Khaleda had any opinion on the court’s decision of rejecting her bail plea, she said that the former primer did not make any comment over the issue.
She alleged that they were not getting permission to meet Khaleda. ‘We even could not meet her even after a month.’
Though the family could visit Khaleda once in every 15 days earlier, the family members had to wait much more days to meet her – 20 days for the last meeting and one month and three days for prior to that one on December 16, 2018.
Selima said that Khaleda sought blessings from the country’s people.
‘We want to take her abroad for proper treatment if she was allowed bail. I believe that she will not disagree with us. Everyone wants to get well,’Selima said.
Besides Selima and Zahia, Khaleda’s daughter-in-law Sharmila Rahman Sithi, granddaughter Ariba Islam and grandsons Samin Islam and Rakhin Islam met the former prime minister at the hospital, BNP chairperson’s media wing member Shamsuddin Dider told New Age.
Khaleda has been in jail since February 8, 2019, the day when she was sentenced by a special court in Dhaka in a graft case which BNP termed false and fabricated.
On December 12, after receiving a health report submitted by the BSMMUH, the Supreme Court rejected Khaleda’s bail plea and asked the university authorities to ensure her proper treatment.
On December 11, the university authorities submitted a report on Khaleda’s health to the SC saying, ‘As a result of combined active diseases and accompanied damage she is, at present, at a crippled state and largely dependent on assistance for her day to day activities.’
